


The Martyr

by kethni



Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: Drunken Confessions, Exes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21999931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kethni/pseuds/kethni
Summary: ‘Why the fuck would he want your job?’ Selina asked. ‘You don’t even want it.’He shook his head as he sat back in his chair. ‘That’s not it.’Selina leaned forward and topped up his drink. ‘I’ll be next on his hit list.’‘Why, when did you fuck him?’ Ben asked morosely.Selina blinked. ‘What?’
Relationships: Ben Cafferty/Kent Davison
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	The Martyr

**Author's Note:**

> For CrazyMaryT

Ben Cafferty was drunk. That wasn’t new and it wasn’t news. What it was, potentially, was useful. Ben was hardly cautious about his speech when he was sober, or what passed for sober with Ben on a day-to-day basis. When his background blood alcohol level was high enough for him to be _noticeably_ drunk then there was no telling what embarrassing things he might reveal, given the right provocation. Or at least if he was steered away from the things that she wasn’t interested in.

Selina knew Ben of old, or she wouldn’t have attempted it. Men, even men who didn’t have wandering hands during the day, could get… unpleasantly insistent when they were drunk. She’d had a bad enough day as it was without adding that on top of it.

Ben didn’t get handsy. He never had with Selina and besides people talked. If POTUSs chief of staff was going around harassing women, then _everyone_ would’ve known about it.

She found him in his office, squirreled in the corner of his couch, drinking good Scotch like it was bad vodka.

‘Can’t do it,’ he said, waving the bottle at her.

‘Can’t do what?’ Selina asked, sitting down in his guest chair.

‘Whatever it is you want. No fucker listens to me. I tell ‘em I want a coffee and it takes like… ten minutes before they get me one.’

Selina nodded. ‘Uh, okay. So, Kent Davison, huh? I didn’t know you guys hated each other so much. What’s with that?’

Ben’s blurry gaze sharpened. ‘You want to know about Kent?’

Shit. Not drunk enough. ‘Hey, he’s gunning for me,’ she said. ‘I’m just trying to protect myself.’

Ben grunted. ‘Get in line. He’s not gonna be happy until I’m gone.’

‘Why the fuck would he want your job?’ Selina asked. ‘You don’t even want it.’

He shook his head as he sat back in his chair. ‘That’s not it.’

Selina leaned forward and topped up his drink. ‘I’ll be next on his hit list.’

‘Why, when did you fuck him?’ Ben asked morosely.

Selina blinked. ‘What?’ 

***

Selina waved her hands as Ben lay down on his couch.

‘You’re making this up.’

‘Why the fuck would I make _that_ up?’

Selina cocked her head. ‘Well, you’re pretty drunk.’

‘I must be to tell you this shit,’ he said morosely. ‘It was Joyce’s fault. She’d never fucking admit it. But it was.’

Selina crossed her legs. ‘Cheating on Joyce was her fault? That’s an interesting uh…’

Ben snorted. ‘If I cheated on Joyce then she’d have cut my balls off and have them in her purse.’

‘Now I’m completely fucking lost.’

‘It was a couple thing.’ Ben rubbed his eyes. ‘You spice things up with another person. We’d talked about doing it maybe, but Kent was the first time we ever did it.’

Selina almost choked on her drink. ‘Kent was your _unicorn_?’

‘That’s mostly chicks,’ Ben said.

‘ _How_? How did this happen? Are you bisexual? Is Kent gay?’

Ben threw back his head. ‘Fucking labels! You slept with chicks in college, are _you_ bisexual?’

‘I did not!’ she snarled.

Ben turned to look at her. ‘We did oppo research on you,’ he said. ‘And then when you joined the ticket, we did _more_ research. I know every guy you fucked behind his girlfriend’s back and every woman you frenched when you were drunk.’

Selina scowled. ‘Jesus, one woman, one time.’

‘Read me that speech again about how you’re such a big supporter of the gay and lesbian community,’ Ben sneered.

‘I didn’t mean you!’ She kicked off her shoes. ‘We did oppo research on you. Didn’t turn up you knocking boots with other guys.’

Ben waggled his glass. ‘Crappy oppo research is just one reason why we kicked your ass in the Primaries. Also, I hadn’t done it then.’

Selina grabbed the bottle of Scotch. ‘Kent was your first dude?’

Ben nodded morosely. ‘Mouth like a vacuum cleaner.’

Selina stared into the middle-distance. ‘Huh.’

Ben sat drained his glass and poured another. ‘It was supposed to be just sex. It was for Joyce. It was just sex with Caroline and with Scott.’ 

She shook herself. ‘Not with Kent?’

‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘I told him… Doesn’t matter what I fucking told him. He left the fucking campaign. Didn’t even say goodbye to me. After everything. I cut open my fucking heart and showed it to him and he fucking _left_.’

Selina pulled a face. ‘Imagine that.’

‘Then he comes back without a goddamn word! Can you believe that shit?’ Ben demanded, gulping Scotch. ‘You open up to a guy, you let him into your life, you let him into _you_ , and he doesn’t even tell you when he’s coming back.’

Selina coughed on a mouthful of Scotch. That was an image that she never thought she’d ever get. Now she wasn’t sure that she’d ever get rid of it.

Also, she’d drunk too much Scotch. She was starting to feel dizzy.

‘If he left you, then why is he trying to get you fired?’ she asked.

Ben shook his head as he lolled back against the couch. ‘I don’t fucking know,’ he mumbled. ‘Why did he break my damn…’

Selina waited. After a few seconds, Ben began to snore.

Well. Shit.

Selina put down her glass and made her way out of the office. Jesus, she hadn’t realised how late it was. There were a few people here and there, the West Wing was never truly empty, but it was quiet.

The light to Kent’s office was on. Selina wandered towards it. As she grew closer, she heard the tap of keys. Christ, couldn’t he at least pretend to work late like the rest of the world?

‘Selina?’ Kent asked. He was at his desk, his tie loose and his sleeves rolled up. ‘Are you… quite well?’

‘Nah,’ she said. ‘Ben was feeling sorry for himself. Needed someone to keep him company while he drowned his sorrows.’

Kent winced and poured her a glass of water. ‘That was either very kind or extremely foolhardy.’

‘Sure as fuck wasn’t kind.’ She ignored his confused expression and drained her glass of water. ‘You should talk to him.’

‘I talk to him more than I wish to,’ Kent said.

She shook her head. ‘Talk to him now. He’s really fucking drunk so he’ll probably be honest.’

Kent pursed his lips. ‘Honest about what?’

Selina turned and staggered away. ‘About you breaking his fucking heart.’

The End


End file.
